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Old 04-15-2012, 01:35 PM   #1
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Electrical outlet/inverter question

I will want to run a crock pot or bread maker while driving. We have a 33' 2005 Adventurer. Is this possible? Where can I plug it in?
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Old 04-15-2012, 01:38 PM   #2
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Do you have an inverter?
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Old 04-15-2012, 01:40 PM   #3
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Do you have an inverter?
There's one in the coach, from the manufacturer I believe.
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Old 04-15-2012, 01:51 PM   #4
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Depends on what size the inverter is and what the amp draw is on the two items you
want to use.
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Old 04-15-2012, 01:52 PM   #5
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There's one in the coach, from the manufacturer I believe.
You will have to find out the capacity in watts of the installed inverter. Your crock pot probably needs 600 to 800 watts on high setting. If you can check your "as built" list of accessories, you should be able to find the size of the installed inverter. Most of them only provide power for the entertainment systems. The way to test for inverter power is to disconnect from shore power and then plug in a test light or use a meter in each receptacle to find if it is powered.
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Old 04-15-2012, 01:52 PM   #6
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Hi BArb:
It would require a large inverter to power a major energy user such as a crock pot or bread maker. Not sure if you have an inverter or a converter in your MH??
Also there is a concern about hot items flying around in the MH during a hard stop??
You can also drive with the generator on if you really need to be cooking while driving.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:29 PM   #7
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You will have to find out the capacity in watts of the installed inverter. Your crock pot probably needs 600 to 800 watts on high setting. If you can check your "as built" list of accessories, you should be able to find the size of the installed inverter. Most of them only provide power for the entertainment systems. The way to test for inverter power is to disconnect from shore power and then plug in a test light or use a meter in each receptacle to find if it is powered.
I did that and found nothing at the outlets. :( So it's McDonald's and Booger King instead of homemade bread and chile?
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:30 PM   #8
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Hi BArb:
It would require a large inverter to power a major energy user such as a crock pot or bread maker. Not sure if you have an inverter or a converter in your MH??
Also there is a concern about hot items flying around in the MH during a hard stop??
You can also drive with the generator on if you really need to be cooking while driving.
FC
Yeah Hugh, most put them in the sink for safety. I thought of that.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:46 PM   #9
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I did that and found nothing at the outlets. :( So it's McDonald's and Booger King instead of homemade bread and chile?
Does your tv come on with out shore power?
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Old 04-15-2012, 03:11 PM   #10
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I just checked the Winnnebago Adventurer brochure for 2005 and it states there is an optional 300 watt inverter so you can watch TV. But at only 300 its not good for much else, other than a computer. LOL.
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Old 04-15-2012, 04:14 PM   #11
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It's no problem to run a crockpot on an inverter. I just looked and my wife's crockpot is rated at 160-200Watts. You can run this and many similar appliance while driving without running the generator.

But, because of the large heating element and motordrive, a bread maker might be a HEAVY load (depends on the make/model). You can look at the manufactures label on the bottom of the appliance to see what the load is...should read something like "100W-300W." To give you an idea, a hair blow drier can easily be over 1800Watts.

***I cannot stress enough that the previous post about securing the appliance while driving IS REAL--and SHOULD BE YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY! Kitchen appliances really can start a fire inside your RV***

For appliances with a motor and heating elements, the inverter rating must be increased by a percentage to handle the "peak" or "start-up" draw.

My Damon didn't have any inverter when I bought it (second owner) but just like you, I wanted to run some AC kitchen equipment while driving, and I didn't want to run the generator just for a quick microwave reheat or something like that.

I took the highest draw I expected and bought an inverter for that load (1100W microwave -> plus 20% = 1320Watts) so, the inverter I got is a 1500Watt. I am experienced with electronics, so I installed a 1500Watt inverter and it powers the entire coach (except the A/C).

If you're not experienced, you may prefer to have a reputable RV specialist do the install for you. There's one thing you will want to ensure for this to work, and that's that your engine alternator charges the house batteries while driving. Not all RV's are wired that way.

So, if your original equipment inverter is too small for the load or you don't already have an inverter, you can upgrade pretty easily to fit your needs...ours works great.
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Old 04-15-2012, 04:50 PM   #12
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Nothing is "FREE"

Barb ...

Nothing is free ... anytime you are using energy ... something has to supply it ... if you had an inverter that would energize all the outlets in your MH and plugged in the crock pot and turned on the inverter ==> that would mean that your engine alternator would have to create the additonal energy required to run the crockpot ... which would increase the fuel consumption of the engine ...

So ... my recommendation is for the few times that you will want to use the crock pot while travelling ... start the genset and put the crockpot in the sink with the roast, potatoes, carrots (and a little red wine) ... you will have a deliciious dinner when you arrive ...

This is a simple solution to the problem ... and it will take a long time to pay off the cost of the larger inverter with the marginal difference in the cost of fuel ... even at $5 a gallon ...

Although it is not exactly the same issue ... but is closely related ... when we travel in hot weather above about 80 we start our genset and turn on the central air ... running the dash air does not do a very effective job of cooling the coach at those temps and running the dash air increases the fuel consumption of the engine ... so we travel in comfort ...knowing that we are burning a little more fuel
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Old 04-16-2012, 05:00 PM   #13
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I have an '06 Adventurer. It's probably the same wiring as yours. We enjoy cooking a crock pot roast while traveling. Fast food is no fun.

We always use the factory installed inverter. The above posts are good advice, but I sincerely doubt that the Crock Pot will draw any more juice (that's the technical term) than the TV's, VCR, etc.

One thing I had to find out by trial and error (my two loyal companions) is that the majority of the outlet plugs are not wired into the inverter. Only the plugs serving the two televisions and the plug by the passenger seat, on the passenger wall are energized by turning on the inverter switch on the control panel.

We put our Crock Pot in the sink and put towels around it so to make it tight. We also run a little extension cord from the passenger side 110 outlet and throw the switch on the inverter. Walllaaaa! A nice roast, potatoes, carrots, etc, etc. when we arrive at our destination in the afternoon or evening.

It's easy to check your 110 plugs to see which ones are energized by the inverter by unplugging from shore power with the gen set turned off. Check with a 110 drop cord or 110 drill.

Unless you plan to use the microwave while traveling, (not recommended) you should not need to burn any additional fuel by running the gen set.
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Old 04-16-2012, 06:25 PM   #14
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I'm a professional cheapskate. My 1987 Winnie had no inverter, so I bought a new 500w one off eBay for $26 shipped. I installed it under the passenger seat (which is convenient to the battery), and it's usually used for keeping the laptops charged while driving or when just parked. If your crock pot draws just 300w, it would also work.

The decent 1000w inverters usually sell for under a hundred bucks off eBay. But if I couldn't install it myself, I'd recommend going to a car stereo shop rather than an RV shop. I find the prices to be about half, and the competence to be about double.
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